One of the lingering questions associated with the closure of the Civic Auditorium in early November has been the ability to have special events inside Affinity Place.
After all, it was a lot easier to schedule special events at Affinity back when it was one of three arenas in Estevan. Now that it’s one of two arenas, those special events become more difficult.
We don’t know if the Civic Auditorium will be open again. If it remains closed, we don’t know when, or if, a third arena will be constructed.
The number of special events at Affinity Place has dwindled in recent years. There has been just one concert this year, a performance by Blue Rodeo that lost significant money.
And while we want to see concerts happen at Affinity Place, it will be difficult to have concerts during hockey season if Estevan is a two-arena community.
The best time to have a concert is on a Friday or Saturday night. But Fridays and Saturdays also mark the best time for hockey games.
A couple of special events, such as the St. Joseph’s Hospital Foundation’s Festival of Trees or a concert, might be okay during the hockey season. But it could be difficult for schedule makers to have more than a couple such events.
Also, it might be wise to avoid having a special event in late February or March, when local hockey teams are in the playoffs.
The upcoming 2018 SaskTel Tankard will also pose challenges. Now let’s be clear: the Tankard will be a great event for the community, and it will bring a lot of people to our city. The economic spinoff will be considerable.
We’re looking forward to it, and hopefully it will be well supported.
But Estevan will have just one arena for hockey, figure skating, broomball and other user groups during the Tankard. Not only will the Tankard occupy Affinity Place during the five days of competition, but Affinity Place will be dedicated to the tournament for several days before and afterwards, thanks to the transition from hockey to curling ice and back.
If Estevan is to be a two-ice surface city for some time to come, then it will be tough to have big curling events in the future. And that’s too bad, because Affinity Place would be a great venue for marquee curling events.
The decision on the future of the Civic Auditorium will be difficult. We’re seeing a groundswell of support for the old barn, but the decision about its future has to be pragmatic, and not emotional.
If the Civic is to close, then council has to be pragmatic about the decision to build a third arena.
But it’s much easier to have special events at Affinity Place when Estevan has three arenas. That also has to factor into council’s decision.
